Jason Mraz eulogizes 'love' in new album

Mraz said his inspiration came from a piece of art, which features shapes forming the word 'love'.

LOS ANGELES: After rocketing to international fame with his bubbly pop track "I'm Yours" in 2008, singer Jason Mraz strapped on his cowboy boots and added a country flair to his fourth album, "Love Is A Four Letter Word."

Mraz, 34, known for his laid-back folk-pop melodies, embraced a mantra of peaceful southern California beachside living for the record, which is currently in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 album chart.

Mraz said his inspiration came from a piece of artwork, which features rectangles, circles, triangles and squares placed alongside each other to form the word 'love.'

"If I can choose to see love in this image, then I could also choose to see love in someone else or the world around me or even in the mirror, and it was this 'Aha' moment that love is a choice that we make, and I wanted to explore that," Mraz said to Reuters.

The set of songs featured on "Love Is A Four Letter Word" are positive, upbeat and nostalgic. They explore love in relationships, family, friendship or heartache.

"I spent a lot more time at home with my boots on in the backyard and the beach, playing a different kind of guitar, and that did bring out more of a country soul and laid-back feel.

The tempo this time around matched my heartbeat, which is usually pretty slow," said the singer.

Songs such as "Living In the Moment," "93 Million Miles" and the album's lead single "I Won't Give Up" include little touches of country music in the guitar melodies, while "Who's Thinking About You Now" show light soul music influences.